St. Francis Church is vandalized as the investigation continues into Monsignor Craig Harrison, Trevor Horn lands at Garces Memorial High School and missing McFarland city manager John Wooner is found dead in the Kern rRiver

Friday, August 2, 2019

 Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this community such a special place. Send news items to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... FATHER CRAIG: St. Francis Church was vandalized recently, adding fuel to the division in our community over the fate of suspended priest Craig Harrison, who has been accused of sexual

impropriety by multiple men. The word "rape" was scrawled on the church in two places. Meanwhile, The Bakersfield Californian's John Cox wrote a long piece detailing the more than 100-page investigation by Bakersfield Police into the case, revealing some lurid allegations that could never be substantiated. No word yet on when the Diocese of Fresno will wrap up its investigation into the molestation allegations.

 * ... TBC ALUMNI: Trevor Horn, the popular prep sports writer at The Bakersfield Californian who left the paper recently, has landed a job as Sports Information Director and assistant athletic director at Garces Memorial High School. An award winning journalist, Horn was just the latest TBC employee to leave while landing another gig in town. The talent drain includes former lifestyles editor Jennifer Self, now communications director at CSUB, former city editor Christine Bedell, now with the CSUB alumni affairs office, former columnist Lois Henry, now with BizFed and graphics editor Glenn Hammett, now teaching at Bakersfield College.

 * ... BODY RECOVERED: Sad to hear that the body of John Wooner, the missing McFarland city manager, was found inside a car found submerged in the Kern River. The CHP confirmed that Wooner's body was found in the back compartment of the Dodge Durango, perhaps indicating he had tried to escape rising waters before succumbing to the water. Wooner had been missing for more than six weeks. Authorities are investigating to determine if foul play was involved, or it was simply an accident along Highway 178 in a treacherous stretch of road. He was 57 years old.

 * ... PET ADOPTION: Here's a big shoutout to Assemblyman Vince Fong who funded the adoption of 100 dogs and cats from the Kern County Animal Shelter. Fong has two rescue dogs himself and has been a strong advocate for adoption and "no kill" shelters.

* ... MEMORIES: Check out this old picture of the Ridge Route compliments of the Kern County of Old Facebook page.

 * ...MORE MEMORIES: And thanks to Art Moore with the Kern County History Fans for these classic pictures of old Wasco.

Dinuba police drop charges against suspended priest Raul Diaz, vandalism and crime runs amok downtown, Trevor Horn leaves The Californian and a water alert for La Cresta

Monday, July 29, 2019

 Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this community such a special place. Send news items to rsbeene@yahoo.com.

 * ... PRIEST ALLEGATIONS: Just a day after Bakersfield police closed an investigation into 20-year-old abuse charges Monsignor Craig Harrison, authorities dropped charges of inappropriate

conduct with minors against long-time Dinuba priest Raul Diaz. These two developments - separate cases only linked by the popularity of the two priests - are certain to buoy the hopes of the scores of loyal Catholics who hope both men will return to the pulpit. Diaz, a former cross country runner with the storied McFarland High School track team, was facing charges of inappropriate conduct with minors. The question for Diaz: is this enough for the Diocese to return him to his old position? Harrison, meanwhile, awaits investigations by the Merced and Firebaugh police departments into four allegations dating back more than three decades. If the authorities cannot substantiate the allegations - well short of an exoneration that leaves us with a "he said/he said" case - the Diocese will have to decide if Harrison has been irreparably harmed by charges and act accordingly. (file photo of Raul Diaz)

 * ... CRIME: If you don't think are streets are turning meaner with this homeless and vagrant crisis, think again. In the past week three houses - all in a row - were broken into and burglarized on 21st Street, while literally dozens of cars were broken into downtown. Meanwhile there has been a rash of vandalism linked to homeless vagrants, from Salty's to Blue Oak Coffee to Lululemon. When laws are changed and the consequences of "non violent" crimes are diminished, crime spikes accordingly.

 * ... MOVING ON: The Bakersfield Californian, which changed hands not even a month ago, is experiencing a talent drain in its newsroom not short of alarming. We have now learned that Trevor Horn, head preps sports writer, is leaving the company after a stellar career. Horn is staying in town (he and wife Kristen recently purchased a home here) but has not yet revealed where he is going.

 * ... WATER ALERT: Residents of parts of La Cresta and northeast Bakersfield near Garces Memorial High School are being advised to boil their water after a malfunction at California Water. The advisory reads in part: "Cal Water and the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water (DDW) advise all customers in our “660 zone” (affected area inside black border in map below) to only use boiled tap water or bottled water for drinking, preparing food, and brushing teeth until further notice. We are advising you to take this precautionary measure after a malfunction in our monitoring software caused a temporary water outage in this area. Any time water pressure drops below the threshold set by DDW, we test water quality samples to ensure that water quality was not negatively affected. All tap water used for drinking, preparing food, and brushing teeth should be boiled rapidly for at least one minute. Let the water cool before drinking. Customers should also discard ice cubes made from tap water or their refrigerator’s water line. If you have pets and are unsure about providing water to them, please consult your veterinarian. Tap water is safe for showering, bathing, and other household uses."

 * ... MEMORIES: Now here is a blast from the past.

Sexual harassment is alive and well in Kern County, Wood-Dale Market to carry fresh fish at its new location and Kevin Burton joins a local law firm

 * ... SEXUAL HARASSMENT: Given all the sexual harassment and groping charges on the national level, did you ever think if it is better - or worse - here in Kern County? I posed that question to Katy Raytis, a lawyer who specializes in sexual harassment for Belden/Blaine/Raytis. Her answer might surprise you. It is actually worse here, she told me, because of the chummy nature of our community. "Everyone knows everyone," she said, "and that leads to familiarity and the idea that it
can't happen to me. But it does." The time of year when we should all watch our behavior? The holidays, of course, when we find ourselves at company Christmas parties with our guard down while alcohol is being served.

 * ... ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIPS: And speaking of surprising, did you know that only 2 percent of high school athletes actually receive some sort of athletic scholarship to attend college? That's the word from Trevor Horn, prep sports writer for The Bakersfield Californian. The number is so small, in fact, that Horn has this advice for parents who are dreaming their children will get a scholarship: "Relax and just enjoy the ride," he said. "Enjoy them participating in sports and let them play multiple sports."

 * ... FISH MARKET: It looks like the new Wood-Dale Market at Grand Island Village will be opening sometime after the first of the year. And here is some good news: Chris Vasquez, son of owner Israel Vasquez, says the old-style meat market will also be carrying fresh fish. Vasquez told me they will start with the most popular types of fish - salmon, sea bass etc - but will let the customers decide what they should carry. Work at the new location, next to the Sol Y Luna restaurant across from Wiki's Wine Dive and Grill, is well under way as they shoot to open after the first of the year.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Congressmen only make $174,000 a year! How can they be expected, on such a meager pittance, to raise a family, buy groceries, send their kids to school, and pay massive sexual harassment settlements? Impossible."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "One day you're 18, eating pizza for every meal, wearing a size 4 and the next you're 30, drinking kale and debating wearing a T-shirt in the pool."

  * ... KEVIN BURTON: Kevin Burton, who has been the face of the marketing for Adventist Health for the past seven years, is leaving his job as head of its foundation to join the law firm of Klein DeNatale Goldner. Burton will be overseeing corporate and business development as well as marketing the firm.

 * ... THE TOWER: It looks like the old downtown church that has housed several restaurants (Bell Tower Club, The Ivy) is about to get a new owner. Robert Alimirzaie, executive chef at Bakersfield Country Club, has purchased the elegant old church and will open it as a restaurant called "The Tower" in February.